By: Ryan Klinkner, SJU Athletic Media Relations Director

No. 12 Saint John’s golf competes at the Minnesota Golf Classic, hosted by No. 15 Bethel, this Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 7-8, at Pioneer Creek G.C. (par 72) in Maple Plain. – Live Results

THIS WEEKEND’S TEE TIMES: The tournament’s opening round begins Saturday with a 2 p.m. shotgun, followed by 36 holes Sunday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John’s finished third out of 14 teams at the season-opening Augsburg Invitational last weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) at Majestic Oaks G.C. (par 72) in Ham Lake.

No. 25 Gustavus Adolphus scored its second-straight 300 (+12) to win the tournament with a 600 (+24), nine shots ahead of No. 22 Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 609 (+33). SJU tallied an uncharacteristic 314 (+26) Sunday to take third with a 617 (+41). The Gusties’ second team was fourth (+44, 620), three shots ahead of SJU Blue in fifth (+47, 623). 

Freshman Gavin Grahek (Maple Grove, Minn.) led SJU’s varsity with a two-day total of 151 (+7) to tie for seventh out of 84 golfers. Junior Gus Briguet (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) matched yesterday’s 76 (+4) to tie for 10th with a 152 (+8), while senior Andrew Boemer (Eagan, Minn./St. Thomas Academy) and sophomore Nate Appelhof (Blaine, Minn./Totino-Grace) recorded a 157 (+13) each.

Junior Ethan Kress (Woodbury, Minn.) led the 10 Johnnies in the tourney with a 4-over par 148 to tie for third overall for SJU Blue. Freshman Drew Krekelberg (Rogers, Minn.) tied Appelhof and Boemer at 157.

TWO YEAR’S AGO: SJU fired a pair of even-par rounds on the final day of competition to finish second out of 15 teams at the 2022 Minnesota Classic in Maple Plain. Bethel took first place with a three-round total of 866 (+2). SJU was second at 874 (+10), followed by Luther (+13, 877), Wisconsin-Eau Claire (+18, 882) and Gustavus Adolphus’ second team (+27, 891).

SJU jumped two spots into second place after round two, but Bethel extended its lead to 20 shots with a repeat of its first-round score of 283 (-5). The Johnnies gained 12 shots on the Royals in the third and final round. The Johnnies led the tournament with 52 birdies and went -21 on the course’s four par-5 holes over the three rounds.

Nate Loxtercamp ’24 carded a 3-under par 69, thanks to three birdies and an eagle on the par-4 No. 16 in round two and followed that with four more birdies and a 73 (+1) to tie for 17th (+1, 217) out of 110 golfers. His individual finish was sixth among the NCAA Division III competitors, as the tournament included 30 golfers from Division I programs.

Sam Berger ’24 and Blake Schuler ’24 tied for 30th with a 220 (+4) each (tied for ninth among Division III). Berger started the day with a 76 (+4) and went -2 on his final four holes to end the tourney with an even-par 72. Schuler, meanwhile, started with a 72 and recorded an impressive eight birdies to post a then-career-best 68 (-4) in the final round. He was a collective -9 on the four par-5 holes and led the Division III golfers with 16 birdies in the tournament.

Thomas Gutzmer ’23 tied for 38th (+7, 223) and Boemer tied for 58th (+12, 228). SJU Blue tied with Gustavus’ varsity for seventh at 913 (+49) and was led by Nate Bauer ’24, who tied for 43rd (+9, 225).

WHO WILL BE THERE: The Johnnies and host Royals are scheduled to be joined by Augsburg, Carleton, No. 25 Gustavus Adolphus, Luther (Iowa), Macalester, St. Olaf, No. 22 Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Wisconsin-Stout. 

The field will also include individuals from a number of NCAA Division I programs that are competing at Minnesota’s Gopher Invitational across the road at Windsong Farm G.C.: Baylor, Furman, Georgia Southern, Iowa, Kent State, Marquette, Nebraska, North Carolina-Wilmington, Northern Illinois, Rutgers, St. Thomas and West Virginia.

SJU’S LINEUP: SJU is scheduled to have 10 golfers (two teams) at this weekend’s tournament.

SJU Red

1. Boemer

2. Briguet

3. Grahek

4. Appelhof

5. Kress

SJU Blue

1. Freshman Drew Krekelberg (Rogers, Minn.)

2. Freshman Charlie Willette (Eden Prairie, Minn.)

3. Freshman Mac Drake (Sioux Falls, S.D./O’Gorman)

4. Junior Tim Fultz (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area)

5. Freshman Joey Simonich (Moorhead, Minn.)

SJU’S COURSE RECORDS: The Johnnies have 20 under-par rounds at Pioneer Creek G.C.

Pioneer Creek G.C., Maple Plain (par 72)

-5 – Thomas Gutzmer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2) 

-4 – Mark Longhenry, Gustavus Adolphus Dual (Sept. 3, 2023)

-4 – Blake Schuler, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2022; round 2)

-3 – Blake Schuler, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023) 

-3 – Nate Loxtercamp, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2022; round 1) 

-3 – Andrew Boemer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2)

-3 – Glavine Schugel, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 2)

-3 – Preston Kopel, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 7, 2019; round 1) 

-3 – Charlie Stuck, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 7, 2019; round 1)

-2 – Sam Berger, Gustavus Adolphus Dual (Sept. 3, 2023) 

-2 – Andrew Boemer, Gustavus Adolphus Dual (Sept. 3, 2023)

-2 – Nate Loxtercamp, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023)

-2 – Thomas Gutzmer, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 12, 2021; round 1) 

-2 – Glavine Schugel, Minnesota Golf Classic (Sept. 11, 2021) 

-1 – Blake Schuler, Gustavus Adolphus Dual (Sept. 3, 2023)

-1 – Mark Longhenry, Gustavus Dual (April 27, 2023)

-1 – Charlie Stuck, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 8, 2019; round 2)

-1 – Esten Stensrud, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 9, 2018; round 2) 

-1 – Jon Koenig, Pioneer Creek Invitational (Sept. 8, 2018)

-1 – David Schneider, Minnesota Individual (Sept. 10, 2017)